James Madison's
views on the Principle Legislative Task of
Government.

After signing the U.S. Constitution,
Madison
worked with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton
in
writing
the Federalist Papers - explaining the Constitution; and attempting to
gain support for ratification of it by the states.

The following
quote is from James Madison's Federalist Paper #10 -

"A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a
mercantile interest,
a moneyed interest,
with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations,
and divide them
into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views. The
regulation of
these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of
modern legislation,
and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and
ordinary operation
of government."

As you can see, economic regulation, or probably more
accurately,
self-regulation by the various economic interests is viewed as the "necessary
and
ordinary operation
of government."
No economic interest is exempt from regulation, but more than
one
economic interest does not have a seat at the table - primarily,
working people, women, and blacks.

James Madison's
views on Political Representation

The
following quote is from James Madison's personal records
of the
Constitutional Convention:From
Farrand's Records,
(MADISON August 7th. In Convention)

"Viewing
the subject on its merits alone, the freeholders,(property
owners without debt), of the Country would be the safest
depositories
of Republican liberty. In future times a great majority of the people
will not only be without landed, but any other sort of property."

It's
important to understand that in colonial America, to use a common
phrase of the time, "people
who earn their bread from their employer"
did not have the vote. Working white males didn't fully gain the right
to vote until around 1830.

At
the time of the U.S.
Constitutional Convention, in 1787, most state
governments had property requirements for voting and Madison spoke in
favor of requiring one for voting in federal elections. Madison; as
well as most members of the Constitutional Convention, believed that
the only people who should have a legal authority, (the franchise) to
influence the government, (vote for a representative) were property
owners. However; members of the convention could not agree on exactly
what property requirements should be required, and decided to rely on
the states voting requirements to protect their political power.